MY GREEN BLOG

A long going conversation with my great friend and Eco-Broker Nancie Kosnoff has been about sustainability. She has been preaching this idea for years. Whether helping set up a local farmer’s market in her Queen Anne neighborhood or saving local businesses from national chain takeover, she has been on the forefront of sustainable living. Mix this conversation with a fact from a college econ class and it would seem that local is the way to go. That fact from my econ class is that money spent locally (i.e. local small businesses and not large retail chain stores) gets returned into the local economy 7 TIMES!!! So for every dollar spent at your local hardware store or the corner market vs. Lowe’s or Safeway turns into 7 dollars spent locally. This little combination is actually a VERY green concept as local companies tend to have more local products which means that product did not fly or drive 3000 miles to get to the shelf.

We are fortunate to have companies like Costco, Boeing, and Starbucks that are technically local. So the big bucks from them are coming back our way, but the next time you need a gallon of milk think about the little corner store on your way to work. Yeah the milk may be 20 cents more expensive but that owner may someday buy your home or the service that you offer. In fact, don’t forget about your local mortgage banker either. : - ) You can read more about Nancie Kosnoff under our Green Partners link on the homepage and be connected to her site.